The widespread availability of the Internet and mobile communications has ushered in an era of convenience and productivity never before seen. At the same time, however, the widespread use of data communications has strained both the capacity of communications channels used for data communications and the telecommunications equipment, such as network servers and gateways, that service those channels. As users of phones, computers, and other client devices continue to download more content (such as data, web site content, email, etc.), service and content providers demand greater efficiency within their data communications so that they do not exceed channel capacity and equipment limitations.
One source of inefficient data communications stems from user bookmarks related to web (internet) browsing. Typically, internet bookmarks are stored Web page locations (URLs) that can be easily retrieved by a user. As a feature of all modern Internet web browsers, the bookmark's primary purpose is to catalog and access web pages that a user has visited and chosen to save. Bookmarks are normally visible in a browser menu and stored on the user's computer or other browsing device. Every major browser has a built-in tool for managing the list of bookmarks. The list storage method varies depending on the browser. When a user invokes a bookmark, the browser is normally directed to the link address stored by the bookmark.
A particular problem arises when the user has bookmarked an address that is no longer valid, either because the address no longer functions or exists or because the service or content provider desires that the user be directed to an alternative address. When the browser attempts to contact the invalid bookmarked address, it will receive a response other than the desired content response. For example, the browser may receive a redirect message, which normally results in the browser sending a new request to the redirect address contained within the redirect message. This signaling pattern results in extraneous messaging and results in inefficient data communications. This problem is particularly significant because when the user has bookmarked an invalid link, the user will presumably continue to invoke it.